Parliamentary Under Secretary of State

Background Information:

Prime Minister Gordon Brown has appointed a practising surgeon as a minister at the Department of Health.  Professor Sir Ara Darzi, who is charged with improving patient care, has been promoted from his previous role as National Advisor on surgery.

• Studied medicine in Ireland and qualified from the Royal College of Surgeons.
• Obtained his fellowship in Surgery from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland and a M.D. degree from Trinity College, Dublin.
• Knighted by the Queen as a Knight Commander of the most excellent Order of the British Empire (KBE) in December 2002.
• Holds the Chair of Surgery Imperial College London where he is head of the Division of Surgery, Oncology, Reproductive Biology and Anaesthetics.
• Honorary Consultant Surgeon at St. Mary's Hospital NHS Trust.
• Holds the Paul Hamlyn Chair of Surgery at the Royal Marsden Hospital.
• Held the office of the Tutor in Minimal Access Surgery at the Royal College of Surgeons in England where he set the national guidelines in education and training in Minimal Access Surgery. 
• Lord Darzi was introduced to the House of Lords on 19 July 2007.

Ministerial Responsibilities:

• NHS Next Stage Review - Terms of Reference as announced
• Lords business is being covered by a Lords Whip